


Authentic

by helsinkibaby



Category: Almost Human
Genre: Community: 1_million_words, F/M, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-22
Updated: 2014-08-22
Packaged: 2018-02-14 07:21:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2182905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/helsinkibaby/pseuds/helsinkibaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They need to look authentic.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Authentic

**Author's Note:**

> for day 13 of August Rush, picture of Kennex and Stahl undercover as techno goths

  
John looked in the mirror and fought back a groan. He hadn't hesitated in offering to go undercover and he was willing to admit that it wasn't just because he wanted to solve the case - knowing that Valerie would have otherwise been going in alone was just a much a reason. Oh, he knew she could handle herself, she wouldn't have got through training, let alone made it to Detective if she couldn't. But still, he wanted to make sure that there was someone there who had her back, both for reasons professional and decidedly unprofessional. 

Still though, this outfit was more than he'd bargained for. The clothes, the hair, the eyeliner - he felt like a kid who was dressing up for Halloween, a pastime he'd never enjoyed even then. "Dorian's going to have a field day," he muttered as he stepped into the hall. 

What he saw there stopped him in his tracks. 

Just emerging from the ladies' locker room was Valerie. Like him, she was dressed in full Cyber Goth regalia; unlike him, it actually suited her. Her clothes clung to her frame like a second skin while her makeup, heavier than he'd ever seen her wear, accentuated every detail of her beauty. To top it all, she was wearing a bright blue wig, short and bobbed, and if you'd asked John a few minutes ago, he'd have sworn she should never cut her hair. He had to admit, however, that she wore it well. 

She started slightly as she met his gaze before collecting herself, giving him a small smile. She looked shy, he realised, almost embarrassed, and it was nice to realise that he wasn't the only one out of their comfort zone. Smiling back at her, he gave a low whistle, told himself that it was the kind of thing she could expect to hear where they were going, hoped she wouldn't slap him with a harassment suit, or just slap him. "You look good," he said. "Very authentic."

Valerie looked him up and down, appraising him. "You too," she said, her voice a low purr that made all the hairs on the back of John's neck stand up. He reminded himself sternly that she was just getting into character, that this was part of the act.

It got harder to remember that as she stepped closer to him, into his personal space. 

When she kissed him, hard on the lips, when he kissed her back the same way, remembering that became impossible. 

Valerie was the first to pull away, to step back with cheeks pinker than makeup could reasonably account for. Another small smile, a slight shrug and she turned on her heel, heading for the bullpen with more of swing to her hips than she usually had. 

John stood and stared til she vanished from sight. 

He was still standing there when Dorian came towards him. "Hey, man, looking sharp." He was definitely having fun with this, John knew, as his partner looked him up and down, considering him carefully. "Clothes are accurate based on Rudy's descriptions, guyliner doesn't suit you, but whatever..." He tilted his head, frowned.  "Lipstick's a bit overkill though."

"Shut up," John told him as he rubbed at his lips and something about the smile on Dorian's face made him think his partner knew exactly what had just happened. 

Somehow, though, John just didn't care. 


End file.
